National Pig Association (NPA) chairman Richard Lister has written to Brexit minister David Davis stressing the importance of the pig industry to Britain’s balance of trade.

He stressed that the future sustainability of the British pig industry can only be achieved only if producers are able to compete with both their European and global counterparts.

“The United Kingdom pig industry is worth £1.2bn at the farm-gate, £5bn at retail and, considering foodservice and other external sales and export values, over £7.5bn in total,” said Lister. “Our now blossoming export market is worth £350m a year and is a vital component of our profitability in this increasingly volatile sector.”

In his letter, Lister called on the minister to work towards a transition of current European Union regulations into less onerous domestic regulations. He also stressed the importance of a free-trade agreement, post-Brexit.

He proposed an in-constituency meeting to discuss working on key principles.